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Evening Brief: US Navy Restores Twice-Yearly Fitness Tests, Israeli Bulldozers Level West Bank Homes, Russian Drone Strikes Hit Odesa

BY Guy D. McCardle

Navy boosts fitness rules as global crises escalate from Gaza to Darfur. Here’s what’s making headlines this Wednesday evening.

A car burns in Odesa after an overnight Russian drone strike. Image Credit: @kiraincongress/X

As the year comes to a close, here’s a final look at today’s top stories.

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US Navy Restores Twice-Yearly Fitness Tests, Tightens Standards Starting in 2026

The US Navy announced this week that active-duty sailors will complete two physical fitness assessments per year beginning in 2026, restoring the pre-pandemic testing schedule.

Under a Naval Administrative Message issued Monday, active sailors will test during two annual cycles, while reservists must complete at least one test each year. The change aligns with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s push to strengthen physical standards and make fitness and body composition requirements gender neutral.

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Most sailors will take the Navy Physical Readiness Test twice annually, while those in combat arms roles will complete one standard test and one new Combat Fitness Test each year.

The policy also tightens retention rules by mandating separation after three failed tests within four years, though the Navy will reset all prior failures to zero on January 1, 2026, and exempt pregnant and postpartum sailors for up to 12 months.

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Israeli Bulldozers Level West Bank Homes as Yearlong Camp Raids Continue

Israeli forces demolished homes Wednesday in the Nur Shams refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, part of a nearly year-long military operation targeting northern camps.

The campaign, launched in early 2025 under the name “Iron Wall,” has destroyed or severely damaged at least 850 structures in Nur Shams, Jenin, and Tulkarem, according to Human Rights Watch analysis.

Israeli officials say the demolitions aim to dismantle militant infrastructure and clear routes for troops, citing ongoing security threats. Palestinians and rights groups say the actions have forced tens of thousands to flee, marking the largest displacement in the territory since 1967.

With Israeli troops expected to remain in some camps for up to a year, residents say they face prolonged displacement and an uncertain path home.

 

UN Team Enters Darfur City After RSF Takeover, Finds Severe Humanitarian Crisis

A United Nations humanitarian team visited el-Fasher in Sudan’s Darfur region last week for the first time since the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized the city in October, an assault believed to have killed hundreds and displaced more than 100,000 people.

The hours-long mission found several hundred civilians still living in the RSF-controlled city with little access to food, medical care, shelter, or clean water after months of isolation. The visit, led by UN officials last Friday, aimed to assess conditions and identify safe routes for aid delivery in a city largely cut off since a yearlong siege.

Witness accounts and satellite imagery indicate widespread killings and mass burials during the takeover, including reported killings at the Saudi Hospital.

The findings underscore the deepening humanitarian crisis in Sudan’s war, which has pitted the RSF against the military since 2023 and drawn accusations of war crimes and genocide.

 

Pope Leo XIV Ends 2025 With Call for a More Welcoming Rome

Pope Leo XIV marked the close of 2025 on Wednesday by leading a New Year’s Eve vespers service at St. Peter’s Basilica and urging Rome to remain open to foreigners, families, and vulnerable people.

The Pope used the service to give thanks for the 2025 Holy Year, which drew millions of pilgrims to the city during the once-every-25-years Jubilee celebration. He praised Rome’s volunteers and leaders, including city officials in attendance, for managing large crowds at the Vatican and St. Peter’s Holy Door.

Pope Leo XIV reflected on the year’s significance, which included the death of Pope Francis in April and Leo’s election in May as the first US-born pope.

Vatican figures show 3.2 million people took part in papal liturgies and Jubilee events in 2025, with attendance rising sharply after Leo assumed the papacy.

 

Finland Seizes Ship After Undersea Cable Damage in Gulf of Finland

Finnish and Estonian authorities are investigating damage discovered early Wednesday to a critical undersea telecommunications cable in the Gulf of Finland between Helsinki and Tallinn.

Finnish border guards seized and inspected a suspected vessel, the Fitburg, after finding its anchor lowered in Finland’s exclusive economic zone, while police opened a criminal probe into aggravated damage and interference with communications.

The damaged cable belongs to Finnish telecom provider Elisa and was hit in Estonia’s economic zone, though officials said service was not disrupted.

The ship’s 14-member crew, from several countries including Russia, was detained as investigators examined whether the anchor dragged for hours caused the break.

The incident follows earlier cable damage cases in the region and comes amid heightened European concern over the security of underwater infrastructure in busy shipping lanes.

 

Russian Drone Strikes Hit Odesa as War Nears Four-Year Mark

Russian drones struck apartment buildings and power infrastructure overnight in the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa, injuring six people, including three children, Ukrainian officials said Wednesday.

The attack damaged four residential buildings and two energy facilities, part of a broader Russian campaign targeting urban areas and Ukraine’s power grid during winter.

The strike came as Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated confidence in Russia’s eventual victory in the nearly four-year war, even as diplomatic efforts to end the fighting gained momentum.

US President Donald Trump said a settlement was close after hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, while Ukraine reported new funding and drone strikes deep inside Russia.

 

China Wraps Up ‘Justice Mission 2025’ Drills Near Taiwan

China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) said Wednesday it completed two days of military exercises near Taiwan, calling the operation a success in testing joint combat capabilities.

The drills, conducted Monday and Tuesday in waters off the self-governing island, aimed to assert Beijing’s sovereignty claims and deter Taiwanese independence and foreign involvement, according to the PLA’s Eastern Theater Command.

Chinese President Xi Jinping reinforced that message in a New Year’s Eve address, describing reunification as inevitable.

Taiwan did not immediately comment, but the maneuvers drew criticism from Japan, the Philippines, and others who warned the exercises heightened instability in the region.

The drills came amid recent US arms sales plans for Taiwan and growing concern across the Indo-Pacific as China increases military pressure on the island it claims as its territory.

 

Japan Accelerates Military Buildup as China Tensions Rise and Spending Doubles

Japan is rapidly expanding its military capabilities by doubling defense spending to counter China’s growing regional power, a shift driven by security concerns, US pressure for greater burden-sharing, and the leadership of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

Tokyo says the buildup strengthens deterrence and self-reliance, but Beijing and critics argue it undermines Japan’s postwar pacifist constitution.

The government has approved a record defense budget exceeding 9 trillion yen ($58 billion) for the coming year, invested in long-range missiles, unmanned systems, and strike-back capabilities, and signaled a willingness to take on more offensive roles alongside the United States.

The shift follows decades of reinterpretation of Article 9 and comes amid heightened military encounters with China near Japan’s southwestern islands and Taiwan.

Japan maintains it remains committed to peace, even as it expands its defense industry and prepares for a more assertive role in regional security.

 

Sources: News Agencies

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